Ashen Petals
by Whispers Of The Broken
Summary: Have you ever looked at the moon, And just wanted to howl, Howl away all your pain, All your misery, All the sorrow and hurt in your heart, Have you ever looked at the moon, And just wanted to run, Run away from all the death, All the destruction,
1. Prologue

Prologue

Prologue

The Chi-Tsuki Clan is the most notorious clan in Freeze City, killing mercilessly, raiding relentlessly and feared among all the other clans. They have no allies, and no one knows how, but they have never lost in a single fight. The most amazing thing is that there are all female, all under 20 and all beautiful and there are only 6 of them. No one knows what they look like, for they always wear black cloaks with red hoods when they are hunting. They each only carry two weapons, a small handgun, the barrels always full, and a small knife. Never have they shot a single bullet nor pulled a single knife from its sheath, yet their opposing gang leaders are always found dead. Each dead rival is always found in an ally, and on each one's neck there is a perfect imprint of 1two sharp teeth, 6 on one side, and 6 on the other. Each one's eyes are still open with a look of shock, fear, and horror on their faces, and there is never any trace anyone was ever there, other than the red moon drawn with the victim's blood on the wall beside the victim. Chi-Tsuki means Blood Moon. They have never killed with out being provoked, and their attacks always are planed the exact same time and way; On the night of a full moon, one will lure the opposing gang leader into a back ally, then say, "The moon is looking redder tonight, is it not?" and those are the last words the man will ever hear, and every one knows that when they can hear a howl in the wind, the Chi-Tsuki Clan has killed another. Perhaps the most shocking about the Chi-Tsuki Clan is that they are Wolves. They can last for days on only moonlight, and can deceive human eyes with ease. They can transform effortlessly into a human, though it is only an illusion. If their emotions are strong enough, it becomes impossible to hold the illusion. Of course, as with every species, there are a few exceptions with humans. A select few have the gift to look past the illusion, and see Wolves in their true forms. There are many reasons Wolves must disguise their true forms, though the most prominent of them are that Wolves are extinct, or at least the humans believe so, as it has been for 300 years. Almost all could not tell the difference from a dog and a Wolf, even though a Wolf is much bigger. Every human has been told stories of how evil a Wolf is, and each human has an instinctual as well as physiological fear of these beings, though none know of their ability to deceive. Though human technologies cannot be deceived for they have no brain to be deceived. If a Wolf has its picture taken in human form, a surprisingly large dog will be sitting in the Wolf's place. If its reflection in a mirror or water is gazed upon, there will be Wolf in the reflection For three centuries, Wolves have been hiding among humans, not ever really feeling like they belong. Some don't even know that they are wolves, yet, in the final year this dying earth has left, they will finally rise up, and break their oppressing chains, for I am here to tell you the story of the Chi-Tsuki Clan…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter I

Chapter I

Corii woke with cold metal bars pressing into her back. She had no idea how she had gotten in here. Toboe, the small wolf the Pack had practically adopted, had decided to steal a few hot dogs, right in front of some policemen. Acting quickly, Corii had attacked them in wolf form, and had taken several men down and was going to finish them off when some asshole shot her with a tranquilizer gun. After that, it was just black.

'_I hope that damn kid told the others' _she thought, as she transformed into a human and looked around the empty holding cell. Well empty except for one other. They just stared at each other for a moment as the guards left. The moment the door closed, she whispered, "You're a Wolf." It was more a statement than a question.

"As are you." The other Wolf replied.

She quickly looked the Wolf over, sizing him up. He was in his wolf for, with pure white fur and yellow eyes. She was pretty sure she could take him, for he had many wounds all across his body.

"What's your-" The Wolf started to say but was cut off by a voice.

"Wow, two in one day."

They both spun around, growling. It was another Wolf.

'_And I though we were the last, but now I've met two"_ Corii thought, as she sized this second one up. She hated to admit it, but if both ganged up on her, she'd be finished. Unlike the first Wolf, the second one was healthy, save a few extra pounds. He was in his human form at the moment; with a yellow sweater and gray sweat pants, he also had a brown leather collar around his neck that was much too large for him with the number 23 on it. He had light brown tousled hair and russet brown eyes.

"I'm Hige." The Wolf said, looking expectantly at the white Wolf and Corii. Not so quick to trust, neither said anything.

"Well, why haven't you guys escaped yet?" He continued, not really looking offended by the two Wolves silence.

"I can easily escape something like this, you know." The white Wolf replied, adjusting his position, careful of his injuries.

"Then why are you still locked up?" Hige replied, raising one eyebrow in a questioning look.

"I just wanted to rest 'til I'm at ease." The white Wolf said, opening one eye to look at the talkative Wolf.

"And what about you?" Hige asked, looking at Corii.

"I just got here." She said coolly, not quite trusting the bubbly Wolf.

Hige and the white Wolf began talking and Corii only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, not really caring as she planned her escape.

"My pride would never forgive me if I were to walk around as a lowly human." The white Wolf snarled, making Corii jump slightly.

"Well, what is pride if you're dead?" Hige answered, lifting an eyebrow.

The white Wolf started to reply but was cut off by a mans voice.

"What are you doing here?"

At the sound of the voice, Corii quickly changed into her Wolf form and pretended to be asleep.

"Oh, um, I just got lost looking for the cleaning supplies." Hige replied, facing the human man.

"A Janitor, eh?" The women Corii hadn't noticed before asked, looking critical.

"Oh, well, the cleaning supplies is just in the room over there." The man said, buying the story.

"Oh, thank you then." Hige said, with a quick wave, hurrying into the room the man had pointed out.

The women still looked disbelieving. She slowly made her way over to the cage.

"Do you think that they are wolves?" The man asked, looking at the women. Corii eased her eye open at the comment. They knew of Wolves.

"I can't tell," The women replied, bending down to get a closer look. "After all, I've never seen a real Wolf before, but if they are, they might be some how connected to Cheza's reactions."

'_Who's Cheza?' _Corii thought as the man replied,

"Cheza, eh?" The man sighed, looking some how defeated, "I don't like the sound of that."

"Why?" The women asked, straightening up to turn to the man with her arms crossed over her chest.

The man took a deep breath, as if it took his strength to reply, " She's the one that broke us up, remember?"

'_Oh, she's probably just some human chick."_ Corii thought, tuning out the rest of the conversation. When the two humans finally left, Corii sat up and stretched, the bars were hurting her muscles.

"Well, when are you guys going to escape?" Hige asked, reappearing in front of their cage.

The white Wolf was about to reply when a buzzing alarm sounded and about two dozen men in arms rushed past the door.

'_Time to go.'_ Corii thought as she rushed at the cage door, attacking it with her teeth. The metal bar came loose after a moment and she leapt out, quickly transforming into her human illusion.

"You have better change too." Hige said to the white Wolf, and he did so grudgingly, as if it caused him pain to do so.

"This way." Hige said, and turned and hurried out of the room. They walked down the pale gray hallways unnoticed. As they passed all the police cars and ambulances, a man came running out of the building, and ran over to the man from before.

"It's a disaster!" The first man exclaimed, out of breathe, "The dogs, they've disappeared!"

"What?!" The Other man cried, the women at his side, as all three rushed back to the now empty holding cell. When they finally reached a safe place, Corii got her first good look at the white Wolf's human form. He had black tousled hair, and bluey-gray eyes. He was wearing a black jacket, pushed up to his elbows with a white T-shirt underneath and a pair of blue jeans.

"Well thank you Hige, but I must be off." Corii said, and turned to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Hige said, looking at her in surprise.

"Back to my Pack, of course." She replied, as if it where the most obvious thing in the world.

"You mean, there are more of us?" The white Wolf said, sounding surprised. Hige looked shocked.

"Of course."

"Do you think we could stay with you tonight? We- I mean I don't have anywhere to stay and-"

"Yes you both may stay a night as a thank you." Corii said, and with that, turned and ran towards an alleyway. The white Wolf and Hige followed closely behind.

"_Damn it! I'm so dead!" _Brittany thought, as her back hit the wall and she clutched the parcel of stolen bread closer to her chest. She was surrounded by the police and there was no way out. She was just a pup; she couldn't even fight them off. Tears welled up in her eyes. '_Coriis' going to be _so _mad if I get arrested, again.' _She thought, and felt a few tears spill over.

She had no idea how this had happened. She had been with Nicole, looking for food, and Nicole had given her 5 cents to go get a pastry. She had decided to go get a loaf of bread, so that everyone in the pack could enjoy something fresh, and had gone to the closest bread stall.

She asked for his freshest loaf of bread, and he had put it in a brown paper bag and put it down in front of her and asked for a dollar. Brittany had been so mad! It was ridiculous price. So instead of telling the man she had only 5 cents, she had snatched the bread off the counter and ran. The man had started screaming for some one to grab her and it had happened that a few policemen had been passing and had started to chase after her, and she had turned down a blind corner. It was a dead end.

Suddenly, there was a horrible snarl, and two of the three policemen collapsed on the ground, a long, deep scratch down each ones back. The third policeman took one look at his fallen comrades and turned and ran from the alleyway.

There was some laughing, and Brittany looked around timidly. "W-who's there?" she called, sniffing the air. It smelt of…Wolf.

"Above you." A voice said, and she quickly looked up. There was no one there.

"I'm right here." The voice replied, and Brittany looked straight ahead of her and saw a black shape emerge from the darkness. It was a boy, about 14, the same age as Brittany, with big green eyes and messy blondish-brown hair. He was wearing a brown sweater with a white T-shirt underneath and blue jeans with a pair of black converse. He was the definition of 'perfect' in Brittany's books.

She looked to see him sizing her up as well. It made her very self-conscious.

"Um, hey, my name is Brittany." She said, distracting him from her body to her face.

"Hi, I'm Clay." He replied, smiling down at her, he was at least 4-5 inches taller than her.

"Um, thanks for saving me from those police men, um, Clay. Say, do you have a place to stay?" Brittany asked, wanting to repay Clay for helping her.

"Naw, I'm more the nomadic type, why?" He replied, looking at Brittany with a questioning gaze.

"Because you can come stay with my Pack if you like." Brittany said, smiling.

"Okay, sure! That sounds great." He said, and walked over to her. "So, where do you live?"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter II

Chapter II

"Damn it, that hurt!" Tory exclaimed to Keira as they watched the gray wolf bound off.

"I hate to say it, but we just got our asses kicked." Keira replied, picking herself up and dusting her clothes off and offering a hand to Tory, who was still on the ground.

"Hey, but we couldn't just let him intrude on our territory, or there would be no point in scouting." Tory said, accepting the hand, and dusting herself off as well.

"And it all happened so fast." Keira replied.

"We should report back to Corii." Tory said, bounding off.

"Hey! Wait up!" Keira cried, running after her friend.

"Corii! Corii!" Keira and Tory exclaimed, rushing into the room.

They stopped dead at the sight of two male Wolves, all in human form, and all looking at them in confusion.

"Okay, who are you, you and- oh, no wait, I know you, but who the hell are you two?" Tory said, pointing at each one in turn.

"I'm Hige." The first one said, smiling. At the sight of his smile, Tory's heart started to beat faster, and to hide her blush, she quickly went to the next Wolf.

"Well then, who are you?" She asked, he had a black jacket, black hair and blue eyes.

Before he could answer, Brittany and another male burst in.

"Corii, Corii, I have the most _AMAZING_ story to tell you! Oh and this is Clay, he saved me from the police!" Brittany exclaimed, out of breathe.

"Okay! That's enough, are we all here?" Corii exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"No, Nicole is still missing." Sam replied, Toboe at her side. Those two where stuck together like glue. If you saw one, the other was sure to be close by.

"Okay, every one gather 'round." Corii said, and every one except the white Wolf and Hige sat in a circle. It was something the Chi-Tsuki pack always did. At the end of every day, if it was convenient, the pack would gather in a circle-like shape, and share the day's events in the most creative story telling. Not only was it entertaining, but it also brought the pack closer and helped them learn from each other.

"You two can come sit over here." She said, patting the spot in-between Tory and her self. To Tory's dismay, Hige sat beside her. Making her palms sweaty.

"Okay Brittany, since you seem keen on telling us your story, you share first." Corii said, transforming into her wolf form and stretching out on her belly. Everyone copied, some sitting, others lying down, and all looking at Brittany, who was now in the center of the circle, with interest.

Brittany retold the story, exaggerating on some parts, like when Clay saved her, he some how did a triple back flip before killing the second guy. When Brittany was done, everyone from the Chi-Tsuki Clan thanked Clay profusely.

When everyone was sitting back down in a circle, Corii approached Clay "Thank you Clay, we are very grateful for what you did for Brittany. Do you have a Pack?"

"No Ma'me" he replied nervously.

"How would you like to join our pack?" She asked, taking pity on the lonesome pup.

"Yes Ma'me! I would love to join your Pack!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"Then welcome to the Chi-Tsuki Clan." She replied, and Clay stopped, a shocked look coming on his face. Tory felt Hige tense up beside her.

"You're-you're- you're the-the- the Chi-Tsuki Clan?" Clay asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes, and so are you, silly." Brittany replied with childish innocence.

"You're the **Alpha **of the Chi-Tsuki Clan?" Hige cut in, eyes wide.

"Chi-Tsuki Clan?" The white Wolf asked, lost.

"The Chi-Tsuki Clan is the most known all female Clan in all of the Cities, no – make it most known Clan period! They've never been beat in a battle! How could you _not_ have heard of them?" Hige explained, somewhat nervous.

"But you guys are-are- supposed to be mean, and ruthless, and cruel." He said, looking wearily from face to face, as if expecting them all to jump up and attack him.

"Well, we can't be known as the Chi-Tsuki Clan, the nicest Clan in town. Like that would strike fear into rival gang's heart." Tory replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. The pack laughed and Hige visibly relaxed, though Clay's eyes still held a hint of fear.

"Tory, you and Keira next." Corii said, sitting back down in her original spot.

"Well, we were patrolling the borders, just like you said Corii, when all of a sudden, this huge gray Wolf come out of no where! And he's _on our territory_!"

Tory starts and then Keira cuts in, "So we start growling at him, warning him, and he still wont leave, so we tell him to get off our Territory, and you know what he does?"

"What?" Brittany asks, totally absorbed in the story, her eyes wide.

"He _lifts_ his leg and scents the trash can closest to him!" Tory exclaims, and Sam comments

"What an ass."

"So, did you kick is butt?" Brittany asked.

"Or did you get your asses kicked?" Corii asked with a wry smile.

"We got our asses kicked." Tory and Keira reply, looking down in shame.

"Well, at least you guys didn't get hurt!" Brittany piped up, trying to lighten the mood with her childish optimism.

"Corii, tell us your story next!" Keira said, turning the attention away from Tory and herself.

"Yeah! Lets hear it Corii!" Toboe piped up, smiling brightly.

"Okay." Corii replied, standing in the middle of the circle.

"Well, I trust Toboe told you the first bit." She started, looking expectantly at Toboe.

Everyone nodded.

"Well, after I was tranquilized, they put me in a cage with-" Corii stopped, realizing that she still didn't know the white Wolf's name.

The white Wolf started to answer when the door burst open.

"There you are Brittany! I was looking everywhere for you! What where you thinking! Stealing bread like that and then running off! Didn't you learn from last time- Woah, who are you guys?" Nicole asked, stopping mid-rant as she noticed the three strangers.

"Tell us your story Nicole!" Sam said, smiling.

"Okay." Nicole replied, walking into the middle of the circle. Corii sat back down as Nicole began her story. By the time she was done, everyone had fallen asleep. Sam and Toboe where curled up together, as well as Clay and Brittany. Corii got up in her human form and got 9 tattered blankets from a box in the corner and covered each Pack member with one, including Clay, then walked over too the other two males.

"Here, you may want these." She said, handing each a blanket.

"Thanks" Hige said, turning into his wolf form as she draped it over him.

The other one took it without a word and stayed in his human form, lying back down on his back.

Corii took one for herself and wrapped it around herself before curling up in Wolf form a couple feet away from him.

"Kiba." He said, and Corii looked at the white Wolf questioningly, "My name is Kiba." He said again, and Corii smiled, tucking her head under her tail as she closed her eyes, dreaming of the white Wolf, Kiba.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Chapter III

It was Corii's favorite part of a hunt, the part where she spoke the most fatal words to the opposing Clan leader, see his eyes grow wide, and his face grow pale as all 5 (Brittany was to young to participate) of the Chi-Tsuki Clan all came down upon the man, one of them (This was picked in advance) went for the throat, whilst the others just had fun. When every one was calmed down, Corii would dip a scrap of the man's clothing into his blood that was now pooled on the ground around him, and, in front of his dying eyes, she would paint a red moon on the wall beside him. When she was finished, she would jump onto the rooftops, the rest of the Pack following, and they would transform into their true forms and howl at the full moon. Each voice intertwined with the next, as they became one, and at this time, the whole world seemed to disappear, and all the sadness and pain would be sung out through this very song.

Suddenly, a new voice joined in, and Corii opened one eye to see Kiba singing as well, then Hige, as they brought the moon to tears.

Quent Yaiden walked along, searching for a bar that did not have so many bugs in it. All of a sudden he felt a tug on the leather leash and turned to his majestic dog, Blue.

"What is it, girl?" He asked, strained to hear what she was listening to.

Then he heard it; howling in the wind.

"Wolves!" He exclaimed gruffly, and turned to hurry towards the sound. Suddenly a black shape shot out of the alley right in front of them. In one fluid motion, Quent whipped out his gun, and shot the animal. The bullet pierced its shoulder. It fell to the ground with a yelp. Quent approached it cautiously. It was a huge gray dog.

"Wolf." Quent murmured, standing over the immobile animal with a look of distain on his face. Blue sniffed the Wolf and growled.

"Not dead yet, huh Blue?" Quent said, cocking his gun to shoot the animal again, when without warning, it jumped up and threw him to the ground, the gun flying out of reach. Blue jumped to attack the gray Wolf, but it had already disappeared down an alleyway, running despite its injuries.

'_Damn it!'_ Quent thought, standing up and retrieving his gun. '_I need a drink, a really _strong _drink.'_

"Have you guys ever heard of Paradise?" Kiba asked as they finished what was left of the bread Brittany had stolen.

"Parwadiz?" Brittany asked, mouth full of bread.

"Okay, chew, swallow, then speak." Sam said, laughing.

"I _said _what's Paradise?"

"It's a place run by only Wolves, and can only be accessed during a blue moon. Or so the ledged says." Corii spoke up, and every one looked at her in surprise.

"You know of it then?" Kiba asked, giving the rest of his bread to Brittany, who was looking at it hungrily.

"Well, why don't we go look for it?" Brittany asked, before biting down into the piece of bread.

The rest of the pack nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, lets go!" Toboe exclaimed, jumping up as if they were going to leave at that moment.

"What are you talking about? We have it perfectly fine right her-" Nicole began, but was cut off by a gun fire. Every one cried out and jumped down to the floor, except Corii and Kiba.

"Corii, what the hell do you think you are doing? Get _down_!" Tory exclaimed, tugging on her leader's sleeve.

Corii gently removed her self from Tory's grasp and walked to the window.

"We're surrounded." She stated in a cool voice. Corii never showed much emotion.

Kiba came up behind her to look out the window, and as his breath hit her neck, her heart started to beat faster.

'_What the hell?'_ she thought, trying to control her emotions.

"They must have followed one of us back here." He said. Turning around, she came face to face with Kiba.

"Excuse me." She said, and he moved to the side for her to get past.

"Okay, here is the plan. Sam and Toboe, you two will attack from the left. Keira, Tory, and Hige, you three will attack from the right, Nicole, you get Brittany and Clay out of here. Kiba, you and I will attack from behind. Everyone, you will attack on my howl." Corii said but was cut off by Brittany,

"But, where are we going?"

"Paradise." Was all she said before running off towards the back exit with Kiba right behind her. Once they got out she turned sharply left, and took the back alley. Once they where behind the men she transformed onto her true form ready to bay.

"Are you really coming?" Kiba interrupted, having already traded skin for pelt.

"Yes." She replied before howling to the others.

With that, she jumped up and ran at the men surrounding their home. She could smell their fear, and inhaled it with glee. Growling, she jumped on the first man, grabbing hold and breaking his neck with her iron jaws. She growled in delight as warm, red liquid spurted from the wound onto her muzzle. She saw Kiba attack another man, breaking his neck as well. As she attacked the third man, she saw four men run after Nicole, Brittany, and Clay. She quickly hurried after them, dodging men and jumping over bodies. She then saw them, cornered at a dead end, 6 men, all their guns pointed at Nicole, who was in her Wolf form, snarling in front of Clay and Brittany. She jumped up, in wolf form, and bit the first man's neck from behind, feeling the satisfying snap and it broke between her powerful, bloodstained, jaws. With the men distracted, Nicole attacked them as well. All of a sudden, just as she was about to jump upon another man, aiming for his jugular, she heard a shout, "Corii!" and suddenly she was out of the air just as the sound of a gun echoed off the alley way walls. She looked up; snarling at her attacker, when her heart gave a leap as she realized whom it was. His eyes wide, he gazed into hers, both of them panting slightly.

"Kiba? What the hell are you doing?" she asked, when he didn't move.

His eyes widened as he realized he was still on top of her.

"Damn it Corii, I'm sorry, but he was going to shoot you." He said, getting up, allowing you to get as well.

"Oh, well then thank you." She replied, as she looked around. All the men where dead.

"Come on!" she heard Brittany cry from the mouth of the alleyway. They followed her back to the old warehouse. Her eyes widened at the sight. There were orange, red and blue flames licking the inside.

"We have nothing left here then." She said, and turning to Kiba, she added, "So, where is this Paradise?"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Chapter IV

"Hey, you guys?" Toboe asked hesitantly from the back of the procession. They had been walking in the pipe-ways for hours, relying on Kiba's instinct alone.

"Yeah, Toboe?" Nicole said, walking behind Corii, who was behind Kiba.

"Do you think Tsume could come along? I mean, he's one of us and I was just thinking that maybe he would like to come to?" Toboe asked hopefully.

"Never heard of him." Hige replied from behind Tory, and in front of Sam.

"Is he the guy with the scar on his chest?" Kiba asked, surprising everyone. He had barley spoken a word since the incident in the alleyway.

"Yeah! Yeah, that's Tsume!" Toboe cried, ecstatic some one else knew of his friend.

"You know him?" Corii asked, walking closer to Kiba.

"We've…met." He replied, turning to look ahead again.

"_That_ guy!?" Tory exclaimed, and Keira looked furious.

"That's the bastard who scented on our territory!" Keira exclaimed when everyone gave them blank faces.

"Oh…" Brittany said, smiling now that she understood, "Oh!" She exclaimed, a frown coming on her face when she remembered what he had done.

"I don't like that guy." She said, pulling a disgusted face.

"Yeah, me neither!" Nicole piped in.

Everyone looked to Corii for the final word.

"Well-"

"He's been here, only a couple of hours ago." Kiba suddenly cut in, bending over a few drops of dry blood.

"And he was injured." Corii added, sniffing as well.

She then stood up and started to climb up the manhole ladder. That was there answer; they were going to find Tsume.

Tsume sat on the windowsill, gazing out over the barren rooftops. Suddenly, the sound of voices reached his ear.

He stood up, growling. He sniffed the air. Wolves.

The door banged open, and he growled even louder.

"Is this him?" The female Wolf at the front of the group asked, and the pup stepped out from behind her.

"Tsume!" The pup cried, smiling.

"You again?" He answered, glaring at him.

The pup's(Toboe was it? It didn't really matter) smile faded a bit.

"We followed your sent across town." The male beside the female stated, "You're wounded."

"What, did you come to nurse me back to health?" Tsume asked sarcastically, turning around and taking his place back on the window ledge.

"No, we wanted you to come with us!" The pup piped up.

"And where is this merry little band of yours going then?" he asked, not turning back to them.

"Paradise." The male stated, looking him straight in the eye as he turned back to face them, a wry smile on his face.

"You really believe that old fairytale?" Tsume asked, making a noise that would have been a laugh if there had been any humor in it.

"Yes!" A young she-pup said, stepping up, and looking Tsume straight in the eye.

"Brittany! Get back here!"

And that's when he saw _her. _

The _real_ reason he followed them.

The reason he stayed with them.

The reason he _lived. _

"Fine-" he began to say, but was cut off by a '_BANG!'_

"We're surrounded." He stated, looking out the window.

"You coming?" The female Wolf in front of the Pack asked in a cool voice.

"Do I have a choice?" He asked, and they all ran out of the room, following Tsume towards the safest exit.

Guns where exploding everywhere. Suddenly, out of no where, 7 men with guns all cocked and ready came out from around a corner, and there was a yelp, and the young pup who had spoken to him earlier was in the hands of one of the men, his knife pressed to her throat.

"Surrender or we kill the girl." He said, pressing the knife closer.

"Brittany!" _she _said, eyes widening.

Tsume had no idea how it happened.

But, as if shocked by some electrical current, he jumped and was behind the man holding the girl. In a flash, all 4 men where dead on the ground. Loosing no time, the alpha female attacked the other 3 men, killing them all. The girl quickly ran back to _her. _

"Thank you." _She _said, smiling up at Tsume, making his heart beat faster.

He just grunted, embarrassed at the show of emotion.

"Are you coming?" a cool female voice asked, and Tsume looked towards the door, and saw the Alpha female standing there, the white Wolf at her side.

He merely shrugged his shoulders as he watched _her _walk out of the room, and followed.

'_There's no such thing as 'Paradise', I'm Just sick of this town, that's all.' _Tsume thought, as he turned to look at Freeze City for the last time.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter V

Chapter V

There was no food.

"I'm hungry." Brittany was _starving_.

"Then go get some food." Tsume snapped, and Brittany glared at him. He was such a meanie.

"Fine, I will." She said, pouting childishly and stomping out of the cave they had sough shelter out in.

Once she rounded the corner, Corii motioned to Clay to go with her.

"Brittany!" He called, running after her.

"Oh, good, you came." She said, relaxing as he caught up to her.

"Lets try by the stream, animals are bound to hang around there." Clay suggested, motioning to there right.

"Okay, good idea." Brittany smiled at him, and a light blush crept up into his face.

"Um, Brittany, I don't really think that the ice is thick enough." Clay called as Brittany went to step on the ice.

"Of course it is, silly." Brittany said, jumping up and down on the ice.

Suddenly there was a loud crack, and Brittany's face went pale as the black ice fell out from under her and she slipped under the ice.

"Brittany!" Clay cried, rushing towards the ice and looking down the hole.

There was a loud crack and Corii shot up from her sentry post at the front of the cage.

"_Brittany!" _a voice echoed across the frozen forest floor.

There where foot steps beside her as she looked down from her rock to see Kiba looking at her questioningly.

"Come." She said, and, in Wolf form, she bounded from the rock into the direction of the scream.

"Oh Gawd Brittany, please be okay! Brittany!" He cried, his voice hoarse from the cold. He had dived in after her and pushed her up onto the surface, following quickly.

"Clay?" She asked, her big blue eyes fluttering open.

"Brittany!" he exclaimed, hugging her close.

"Clay, you…you saved me?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Of course." He answered, looking at her.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, and she kissed him.

Corii jumped over a final log and soundlessly rushed into the clearing, only to stop short as she looked at the small couple. They looked as if Paradise itself could not compare to where they were now. Kiba came up behind her, and also stopped. Corii began to back up back into the forest, Kiba following. I guess we should probably go hunting then?" She asked, noticing the color in Kiba's cheeks.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

Chapter VI

"Who are you?" Kiba growled, approaching a Wolf who was prowling outside the cave.

"I could ask you the same thing." She answered, flames burning in her green eyes.

"What are you doing by our cave?" Corii asked, coming up behind Kiba. It was hard to concentrate on being mad at the intruder when Corii was so close.

"_Your cave!?" _The she-Wolf sputtered, slack jawed with fury.

"Yeah, _our_ cave." Kiba replied, trying not to breathe in Corii's scent.

"Um, this just so happens to be _my _cave!" The brown Wolf exclaimed, eyes burning.

"Oh." Was all Kiba could say, slightly ashamed.

Corii was quicker to recover.

"Our most humble apologies, we only wish to seek shelter in your cave for the night." Corii implored, sounding sincere.

The brown she-wolf looked thoughtful for a moment and then brightened up, replying, "My name is Lana, what's yours."

Lana turned out to be a kind hostess. She shared her kill (Corii and Kiba had not brought anything home either), with the entire pack, and told stories late into the night, until everyone was howling with laughter. (No pun intended).

"So, are you alone, Lana?" Nicole asked, bending over Brittany and holding a wrist to her forehead. Brittany and Clay had gotten back moments after Corii and Kiba, blissfully unaware that they had been seen kissing.

"Yes." Lana sighed, looking as if it was painful for her to say it.

"Oh, why?" Brittany asked, her big blue eyes imploring.

"Well, me and my brother, we were, separated." Lana sighed, and turned to wipe a tear from her cheek.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Brittany apologized, looking serene.

"Its fine, so, where are you guys headed?" She asked, changing the subject quickly.

"To Paradise!" Brittany exclaimed, trying to sit up, only to have Nicole push her back down.

"Hm, sounds nice. Mind if I come?" Lana asked, looking hopefully at Corii and Kiba.

"Of course." Corii said, looking at everyone, as each nodded his or her head in agreement.

"Wonderful!" Lana said, adding another stick to the fire, and everyone lapsed into a thoughtful silence. It was interrupted by a loud yawn and everyone looked at Brittany.

"He-he?" she smiled sleepily, and everyone laughed quietly.

"I think we should all get to bed." Nicole said, stretching out in front of the fire.

"I'll take first post." Corii said, and she stood up, heading towards the front of the cave.

Soon every one was on their way to sleep, and Brittany's eyelids flutter open as an arm wrapped itself around her waist. She turned her head to come face-to-face wit Clay. He smiled and she smiled back, and faced forwards again, a smile playing on her lips.

Corii lay on the large rock directly outside of the cave, in Wolf form, gazing at the stars and red quarter moon.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" she asked as Kiba stepped up in human form behind her.

"No, not really." He answered, standing beside her.

Corii changed into her human form and moved over, patting the rock beside her. Kiba climbed on, gazing on towards the horizon.

"What do you dream of, Kiba?" Corii asked, her eyes locked on the curve of the moon.

"The moon, Paradise, and…" He trailed off, looking to the side.

"And…?" Corii asked, looking at him.

"You." He said, looking straight into her eyes. They stayed that way for a moment, before he leaned in, and still keeping eye contact, kissed her. She couldn't, it felt too much like _him_. She moved her head back so that her lips were out of his reach, but kept her forehead upon his.

"Kiba, we can't." She murmured, even though she wanted to very badly.

"But we already have." He replied and kissed her again. It just felt so right. And though her heart was still broken, the edges had begun to heal. Corii slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms were gently locked around her waist, in a loving embrace, as their destiny's intertwined for eternity.

A shooting star crossed the star speckled sky, as the two Wolves sat upon the rock, one black, one white, no more than a speck in the vast, dying, universe.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

Chapter VII

The town was called Quenzi.

"I hope there's food here, I'm starving!" Hige said, holding his stomach for effect.

"Is that _all _you think of?" Tory asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Not all the time." he replied, his eyes making exaggerated sweeps up and down her body.

"Pervert!" Tory exclaimed, taking a swipe at him. He jumped out of the way with ease and rolled his eyes, laughing.

Hige bared his teeth in amusement, "What ever." He smirked as Tory stuck her tongue at him.

"Very mature." He said, his smile growing.

"Yes, 'cause you would know." Tory retorted, walking faster.

"Yes, I would." He called after her, laughing harder as she threw up her arms in exasperation.

"Wow, somebody's crushing." Sam whispered to Toboe, and Toboe chuckled and looked down -his hands in his pockets- but not before Sam noticed the slight flush in his cheeks.

A little while later, the Pack stopped and crowded around Corii, for she had been the one who had stopped them. She made sure everyone was listening, then began; "Okay, I know we are all hungry, but we have to get settled first, so we are going to find a place to stay first, and then go scouting, understand? Has anyone seen anywhere good so far?"

Clay raised his hand. "I saw a small warehouse just a couple blocks away. It was behind a couple boxes, but I think it was empty."

"Good, where is it?" Corii said, smiling slightly and motioning for Clay to show the way.

Nicole gave Corii a strange glance. She hadn't seen Corii this happy…ever. No, she hadn't seen Corii even _smile _ever. '_I wonder what changed her?' _she thought, then instantly answered herself. She could tell by just the way they looked at each other, '_Kiba.'_

She smiled, but couldn't help to feel a small twinge of…jealousy? It was strange, and embarrassing, but she felt jealous that Corii had found some one before her. Embarrassed of her suddenly strong emotions, she frowned as she looked down, not looking where she was going, until she his a hard wall of flesh. She regained her balance neatly, but looked up in time to see Tsume's angered face turn to a look of surprise, concern, then ice all in a matter of seconds, before he quickly moved away. Nicole raised an eyebrow and continued towards the warehouse.

"I think someone lives here already." Hige stated, sniffing with his sensitive nose.

"Naw, the scents' a few days old." Toboe replied, sitting on an up-side-down box, Sam at his side.

"This scent is… familiar." Lana said, also sniffing around.

"Maybe someone should keep watch, just in case." Kiba said, looking around the small warehouse. It wasn't very big, only half the size of their previous warehouse, but bigger than the cave. It was…homey. 

"I will." Lana said, stepping out of the cave, deep in thought.

"Okay, lets got look for food." Corii said, instantly taking charge of the situation. "Everyone, pair up and then go look. If you find _anything _even remotely edible, _don't eat any of it. _ It may not actually _be _edible, so Nicole will check it after we are all back. Lana, are you okay here alone?"

"Yes, go ahead." Lana replied, looking as if she really had no idea what she had answered to.

"Right, every one split up then." Looking back at the Pack for a moment before she and Kiba bounded off towards the rooftops.

Keira and Tory hurried through the maze of streets.

"I'm so _thirsty!_" Tory whined, faking a raspy voice as emphases.

"'Kay, look, you go stop at that well, and I'll go look just down the street, I think I smell something." Keira said, pointing just down the street.

"Okey-doky." Tory replied, already half way to the well.

As soon as Keira took a few steps in to the ally, she knew something wasn't right. Anticipation charged the air. Cautiously, driven by hunger and the enticing smell that had brought her to the ally way in the first place, she took another step. That was when she spotted it, sparkling in the dim sunlight. The shining metal shell of a bullet. Keira sniffed the air; gunpowder.

"Sh!-" She began, but felt the burning pain right below her right shoulder before she heard the shot. She cried out in pain, and then whimpering, she looked for her attacker. It was the old man and his black dog. The dog was growling, its startling blue eyes narrowed into a dangerous angle.

The old man had a large gun pointed at Keira's forehead.

"This ends here, Wolf." He spat the word, as it was a vial curse word.

Suddenly, with a yelp of pain, the blue-eyed dog was on the ground, knocked unconscious, and the gun had been ripped from her master's hand.

"What the-?" And then he was kicked down, cracking his head, the sound resounding off the narrow ally's brick walls, bring him to the brink of consciousness.

"Are you alright?" A light male voice asked from the shadows. Keira looked up as he stepped into the light. He had black hair styled so it was over one of his sparkling brownish-black eyes. He was wearing a band-T with a pair of skinny jeans with silver chains and a pair of white converse.

Keira's heart fluttered insistently in her chest. He smiled a crooked smile and stuck out his hand.

"I'm Arashi." He said, but when Keira didn't reach out her hand in reply, he finally noticed the bullet wound.

"Crap, you are hurt." He said, ripping the bottom of shirt into a strip of cloth. He gently tied it around the wound.

"I'm Keira, by the way." She said, smiling up at him in gratitude.

"Keira." He rolled the name around on his tongue. "Hm, pretty name." he smiled, and Keira could feel herself blush. Just as they reached the mouth of the ally way, Arashi exclaimed,

"Oh! Right, just a sec." before hurrying over to a chicken leg that he must have dropped when he hid.

'_So _that's _what the smell was.' _She thought, looking longingly at the leg.

"You want some?" He asked, taking a bite then offering it to her.

"Oh yes, thank you!" Keira smiled, before taking a large bite of the leg. She handed it back, laughing as he looked at what remained of his lunch.

"I didn't know you were that hungry! Wow." But he smiled, and helped her out of the ally.

"So are you alone?" Arashi asked, making conversation.

"Oh, no. The Pack just stopped here to get something to eat." Keira replied looking around for Tory.

She couldn't spot her anywhere.

"Who are you looking for?" Arashi asked, noticing her questioning gaze as Keira scanned the street.

"My friend, Tory. She was here a minute ago, and stopped to get a drink from the well, but…" Keira was at a loss of words.

"Hm, maybe she'll meet you back where you're staying. Speaking of which, do you mind if I meet your pack?" He asked, looking down at Keira.

"Sure." Keira replied, smiling slightly, but still puzzled by the disappearance of her friend. Tory used to do this regularly. Hiding, laughing when Keira couldn't find her, then as Keira was returning to the Pack, she would jump out and scare her.

"Come on!" She said, gliding into her true form, and running to the west, the way she and Tory had come.

Tory hadn't, in fact, willingly left Keira. But the tantalizing smell of food also seduced her into a different ally way. Hypnotized by hunger and her senses, she did come across a small pile of beef. Wolves, by nature, are greedy creatures, and will eat before they return to share the rest with the Pack. Though some will justify that they were just 'testing the food', it is not unusual for a Wolf to come back to the Pack with only half of what it found, having eaten the other portion. But this is also never even thought about by the average leader. Though, since the 'demise' of the Wolf, the Pack rituals have changed. Normally, it would take about a month to complete an Adoption Ceremony, but now they were unheard of. Wolves simply didn't have the time, or the means to do so. It required the beams of a full moon, unclouded by man's ways. But this was impossible. Pollution had stained the moon red, so the ties could not be properly made. Also, a pack almost never consisted of both males and females, unless the male or female was the mate of the leader. Or if there ever was, they were never equally divided, always more females, or males, never an even number. Just like in normal wolves, only the alpha female had pups. If any other female had them, she would be demoted to the lowest status of the Pack, or kicked out, depending on the favorably with the Pack, and the alpha. Also, if she were related to the alpha female, or alpha male, she could not be kicked out. When all pups, even ones of a demoted female, reached an age of ten (human) years, or 5 (Wolf) years, there was a Finding Ceremony. The Finding Ceremony took one week, and on the week of a full moon, they prayed to the moon God, **Getsuei-****Tentei (Get-sue-ee-Ten-tay),** and the Mother, U**rufu- Hahaoya (Ur-roo-foo- Haa-hey-oh-yaa), that the pups, though they were now adults once they left, would find a new Pack, or a Bachelor Pack. A Bachelor Pack was a Pack of all young females, or all young males, looking for another Pack to gain leadership of. If the leader or alpha female of a Pack was old, or sick, or residing, then a bachelor from a lucky passing Bachelor Pack could be chosen by the current leader to lead. If, in the event of the death of a leader, the Pack couldn't choose a member from their pack, because they were normally related, and there must always be an alpha female as well as an alpha male. So then some worthy opponents would be chosen from passing Bachelor Packs and would be studied, then a few would be chosen from the select group, and they would be told to fight, but not harm, another bachelor of the same gender. They had to push, without drawing blood from the opponent, out of a designated clearing, or space. If they drew blood, or were the loser, then they would be thought of as unworthy, and given to the next passing Bachelor Pack. The winner was then given multiple scenarios in which they must act wisely, but quickly. If done correctly, they were given one-year rein over the Pack. This was called Shiren Ichinen (Sheer-en Itch-i-chen), literally translated into One Year of Trial. If the Pack was unhappy with their new leader at the end of the one-year, they could tell them so, and make them leave, and start over. **

**Tory, like most Wolves, was greedy, but more driven by hunger. She quickly ran up to the pile, and ate exactly half. As she went to gather up the remaining half, she suddenly felt exhausted. She fell to the ground beside the meat helplessly. In the last moments of conciseness, she saw a net lay itself upon her like a heavy blanket of black.**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII**

**"Hey, wait, your staying ****_there_****?" Arashi asked, sounding surprised. **

**"Yeah? Why?" Keira replied, looking up at him in confusion. **

**"Because ****_I _****live there." He said, not really sure what emotion to feel. He was going to invite Keira's pack to his den anyway, but it seemed they had invited themselves!**

**"You do? Oh my gosh, this is hilarious! Ha ha." Keira couldn't help but laugh at the irony. **

**Arashi started to laugh as well. **

**"Hey guys!" Keira called, approaching the shelter. Every one else had returned. But Tory. **

** "Whose this?" Corii asked, looking at the Wolf beside her. **

**"Guys this is Arashi. Arashi these are my Clan mates." Keira said, making hasty introductions.**

**"Arashi?" a timid voice asked, and everyone looked to the doorway of the small ware house to see Lana. Her eyes were glassy and her skin had gone pale. **

**"Lana?"**

**"Arashi!"**

**"Lana!" The two Wolves ran over to each other and embraced happily. **

**"You know him?" Keira asked, looking at the pair.**

**"Yes – sniff – Yes, he's my brother!" Lana was ecstatic. **

**"Oh Gawd Lana I missed you! Where did you go after we were attacked?"**

**"I couldn't find you! I looked in every city, and every village! Oh Shi, I missed you!" Lana cried into his shoulder.**

**"Sh, shh, I'm here now. Its okay." Arashi spoke soothingly, comforting her. **

**"Come on, lets go inside." He said, leading her in.**

**"I think its best to leave them for awhile. We will stay out here." Corii said, a small smile on her lips. **

**"Where's Tory?" Hige asked, looking around. **

**"She's not here?" Keira said, alarmed. "Crap."**

**"What?"**

**"I thought she came back here!" Keira was frantic.**

**"Calm down, now, where did you last see her?"**

**"We were walking, and Tory was thirsty, so she stopped to get a drink, and I went a head because I smelt some food. I met Arashi and then when I walked out, she was gone. I thought she came back here." Keira sobbed, realizing what a bad friend she had been. **

**"Keira, we need you to calm down and show use where you last saw Tory." Corii said gently, half hugging her from the side.**

**"O-okay." She sniffled, starting back the way she and Arashi had just come.**

**"It was here where I last saw her." Keira pointed to the well.**

**"Hige, can you smell anything?" Corii asked, deciding to use Hige's overly sensitive nose. **

**"She was here, then she went over- mmm what's that ****_smell_****? Its delicious." Hige then walked over to a back ally. **

**"Food!" He exclaimed, and everyone hurried over.**

**"****Don't touch it****!" Someone exclaimed, and Nicole hurried forwards. She picked up the meat and sniffed it. **

**"Rhitzome." She spat, throwing the meat back onto the ground. "Just what I thought. It's a common herb used as a sleep stimulator. Its smell is especially attractive to Wolves." At this she looked at Hige. As an after thought, she picked up another hunk of meat. She walked over a small clump of grass growing out between the ally wall and the paved ground. Making sure everyone could see, she squeezed the meat with all her might. A few drops of black liquid squeezed from the meat and dropped on the blades. Within a matter of moments, the smell of burning filled the air as the fluid ate through the grass.**

**"It liquid form, it is highly dangerous. Even deadly if it is taken in high quantities. But luckily, there were only a few drops per hunk of meat. Depending on how much Tory ate; she should only be out for a few hours. Hige, how long ago was she here?"**

**"An hour- an hour and a half, more or less." **

**"Good. Hige can you still track them?"**

**Grim determination crept into his features and he growled "Yes." Before bounding off, in his true form, after the scent.**

**"Go, I'll go get Lana and Arashi." Sam said.**

**"Me too." Toboe call out, and, in Wolf form, bounded off back to the warehouse. **


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

**Chapter IX**

**Tory awoke noiselessly, her instincts telling her to neither move nor speak.**

**'****_Where the hell am I?'_**** she thought, discreetly opening one eye and peering around.**

**There were four men sitting around a dark wooden table. Each held a glass of beer, and didn't look – or smell- like any of them had had a shower in many days. **

**"-Said he would pay us ********50 000 grits for the dog." One of the men was saying.**

**"They were right when they warned us about him." The second one said, taking a swig from his glass. The amber liquid dribbled down into his scraggily beard. Tory licked her lips, suddenly reminded of her parched throat.**

**"Yeah! He's a cheating bastard!" The third agreed, raising his glass. Some of the beer sloshed onto the table, but he didn't seem to notice. **

**"Lets just kill the dog! It's probably dead anyway." The fourth concluded, standing unsteadily to his feet. The other followed suit, grabbing a knifes from random spots around the room, and heading towards the cage. **

**As they reached the for the door of the cage, a deep, crisp voice resounded around the room. **

**"What makes you think I will not pay you?"**

**All five heads snapped towards the direction of doorway. **

**There stood the most terrifying person Tory had ever seen. He wore deep black robes that swept the floor around and behind him and a black mask that covered his angular face. The mask went all the way to the back of the head, and from the forehead back was covered in pure black feathers. Though it would have been humorous on somebody else, on the man it was absolutely terrifying. All of Tory's nerves screamed at her to run, but considering that she was in an iron cage, that wasn't the best idea. But the worst part about the man was that her reeked of noble. The sickly sweet smell of noble. It stung her nose and made her mouth feel fuzzy. **

**"Lord- lord-" The first man, closest to the door stammered, but was interrupted by one of his comrades.**

**"Lord Darcia!" **

**They ran so fast that the heat felt cold. The dirt stung they're eyes and noses. Their tongue lolled out like fleshy pink leaves. Their legs ached and their muscles burned. But Tory was more important then petty discomforts. So they pushed on, as the reek of noble became stronger.**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter X

Chapter X

The castle loomed higher and higher, seeming to grow with every step Corii took. They had already been to the abandoned bar only to find three men lying unconscious on the ground and Tory's scent rapidly growing fainter. The Pack had followed Hige towards the castle, its ominous figure striking black dread into Corii's heart. _He_ lived here. This was _his_ castle. '_Oh great Moon, give me strength.'_ She pleaded, as the memories flooded back.

"_I love you." She murmured, holding him tight._

"_I love you too." He smiled down at her, and her heart leapt as he kissed her tenderly. _

_She prayed this moment would never end._

"_You're a Wolf?!" He exclaimed, his blue eyes wide with horror and disgust. _

'_I thought you loved me?" Sobs racked her body, and she looked up at him, her heart in two. _

"_I promise, just one more test." He said, pressing the button and watching her. Burning liquid poured down the contours of her body. She cried out as the acidic fluid ate through her human disguise. No trace of remorse was in his cold eyes as her unchained her. _

"_Heal for tomorrow, Wolf." He spat, and put her on the cot in the corner of the lab._

_With out a second glance, he retrieved a single glass cup from one of the many wooden cupboards. He then dipped it in the smoldering liquid and brought it up, full to the brim, to his full, pink lips. Something told her, deep inside that he mustn't drink from the cup. _

_Even though all the pain that he had put her through, all the torture, she still loved him. _She still loved him.

'_No!' she cried silently, weakly standing. Closer, closer, the cup approached his lips. _

"_NO!" She cried, as she rammed into his legs, in her true form. The liquid splashed from the cup, all but three drops missing him. Those three drops changed everything. They flew from the cup, as if the world had froze, they both watched the drops, and, one by one, in quick succession, landed in his left eye. His gloriously blue eye. Then the world caught up._

_He screamed in such soprano that the windows cracked and vials shattered. Glass shards bombarded her pelt as she ran for cover under the nearby table. He curled up, both his hands covering his eye. Then it was over. He was silent, all was still. _

"_Darcia?" She sniffed, creeping out from under the table, she nosed his neck. He awoke with a start, her cold nose shocking him into consciousness. She wished he had stay asleep. His left eye was horribly disfigured. A Wolf eye. _

"_Darcia." She murmured, a single tear ran down her furless face. She hadn't even noticed she had changed back. _

"_Corii?" he whispered, his voice cracking._

_He took one look around and his mind caught up with the current events. _

"_Corii!" He exclaimed, for no word could have stung more. His voice was laced with such hate that she was beyond hurt. She was in anguish. So she ran. She ran from the castle, the hurt, the pain. She ran from _him. _As she was running, she heard him scream in anger, blowing the room into smithereens. It was then that she realized the reason that she had had to stop him. Not to save him, but to save the world from him. The acrid poison had given him power. Unnaturally attained power. The power of a Wolf. _


End file.
